Jack-in-the box including box with integral inner cylindrical wall

ABSTRACT

A one-shot molded plastic open-top container comprising a boxlike member having an integrally molded central compartment with an open top, and an integrally molded cover for covering both the compartment and the box itself, said cover being hinged at one edge of the box and having a latch to hold it in closed condition of both box and compartment.

D United States Patent [151 3,667,155 Freelander 1 June 6, 197 2 s41JACK-IN-fIHE BOX INCLUDING BOX 2,897,603 8/1959 Behrman ..46/146 x WITHINTEGRAL INNER 769,935 9/1904 Brom ..46/l46 x i 2,687,157 ,8/1954Cowan... 220/31 S X CYLINDRICAL WALL 3,165,315 1/1965 Petrusek......46/52 X [72] inventor: Israel Robert Freelander, 344 Franklin StreetWorcester Mass. 01604 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2] Filed: N 5, I356,034 Great Britain "46/146 [21] Appl. No.: 87,307 Primary Examiner-F.Barry Shay Attorney-Charles R. Fay

[521 US. Cl 46/146, 220/315 [57] ABSTRACT l5 1] Int. Cl. ..A63h 13/16 ssField of Search ..'...46/l46, 14s; 220 3|5,9 R A one-Shot molded plasticp container comprising a box-like member having an integrally moldedcentral com- {561 References cued partment with an open top, and anintegrally molded cover for covering both the compartment and the boxitself, said cover UNITED STATES PATENTS being hinged at one edge of thebox and having a latch to hold it in closed condition of both box andcompartment. 3,186,540 6/1965 Breger ..220/3l S 3,256,892 6/1966Esposito .220/31 S l Claims,3Drawing Figures JACK-IN-THE BOX INCLUDINGBOX WITH INTEGRAL INNER CYLINDRICAL WALL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Theparticular locus of the present invention is in a jack-in" the box. Suchboxes are of course extremely .old but in the 1 present case the box ismade more rugged and longer lasting and also less expensively by moldingit in one shot. The box is substantially cubical, having an open topwith an integrally molded inner cylindrical sleeve forming a compartmentfor holding the jack and the spring for springing the jack. The innersleeve has an open top edge coplanar with the open top of the box; andthere is an integrally molded cover connected to one edge of the opentop of the box along a thinner hinge portion, the cover having a freeedge with an apertured tab, the front of the box having a downtumedlatch received in the aperture in the tab for holding the box closed andthe jack down in the sleeve against the tension of the spring therein,so that when the front wall of the box is pressed inwards, the coverpops open and the jack pops up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in front elevationillustrating the box open, parts being in section to illustrate theconstruction; I

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof with the figure of ajack-in-thebox'omitted for' clarity of illustration; and

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. I on a smaller scale and withthe jack-in-the-box omitted.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION A molded plastic box preferably ofcubical shape is provided with an integral bottom 10, side walls 12 and14, front wall 16 and a rear wall 18. The side walls form an opencontainer the top edge of which is indicated at 20.

Integrally molded with and along rear wall 18 is a thin hinge 22integrally connected with a more rigid cover member 24 adapted to closethe open top of the box when pivoted down for instance in acounterclockwise direction in FIG. 3. This cover has an extending tab 26with .a hole in it at 28, normally extending at an angle as shown inFIG. 3 with respect to the plane of the main part of the cover at 24.The front wall 16 has an outwardly extending downtumed latch member 30which receives the aperture 28 when the cover is in its down, box andcompartment closed position, see the dotted lines in FIG. 3.

Integrally molded with the bottom is an upstanding cylindrical sleevegenerally indicated at 32. This sleeve has but the single cylindricalwall extending upwardly from the bottom 10 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and3. The main point is that all of the parts including the entire box, thesleeve 32, and the cover 24, are molded in an injection molding machinein a single shot thus providing a strong, semi-rigid inexpensivearticle.

It is to be noted that the top edge 34 of the sleeve 32 is coplanar withthe top edge of the box so that when the cover 24 is in the closed,dotted line position of FIG. 3, it also relatively closely covers thetop edge 34 of the sleeve 32. When not latched, the cover tends tospring up by itself.

A spring 36 is provided in sleeve 32 for extending the figure of thejack-in-the-box generally indicated at 38 upwardly and outwardly whenthe cover 24 is released from the latch at 30. The jack-in-the-box has acloth or similar flexible material cover 40 tacked at 42 and at otherplaces directly to the sleeve at 32 and this is possible of coursebecause the material of the box is plastic.

When the cover is released the jack-in-the-box pops up and is restrainedfrom completely leaving the sleeve 32 by the tacked area 42, theflexible material 40 being secured to the representation of the head ofthe jack-in-the-box by any desired means.

It is therefore not necessary to provide any particular holding meansfor the bottom end of the spring and thus the parts are very easily andquickly assembled.

Thus it will be seen that a strong, rugged and inexpensivejack-in-the-box is provided b this invention. The jack is easily putback in the sleeve and t e cover brought down to where the aperture inthe tab engages the catch at 30 and since the material is plastic andtherefore semiflexible although selfsustaining, it is only necessary topress the front wall of the box in the area of the catch to release thesame and have the jackin-the-box pop out.

I claim:

I. A special one-piece receptacle comprising a molded plastic opentopped box including a bottom and side walls, an integrally molded innercenter sleeve in said box, said sleeve also having an open topsubstantially coplanar with the open top of the box, a cover including ahinge at the top of one of the portions of the wall of the box, andcatch therefor at the exterior portion of the box opposite to the hinge,said cover extending over and closing the box and also closing thesleeve,

a spring pressed figure, a spring located in the sleeve and bottoming onthe bottom of the box, the cover pressing the figure against the actionof the spring into the sleeve when the box is closed by said cover, saidfigure including a flexible dress, and means attaching said flexibledress to the sleeve adjacent its open top and limiting the extend ofprojection of the spring and figure when the cover is released.

1. A special one-piece receptacle comprising a molded plastic opentopped box including a bottom and side walls, an integrally molded innercenter sleeve in said box, said sleeve also having an open topsubstantially coplanar with the open top of the box, a cover including ahinge at the top of one of the portions of the wall of the box, andcatch therefor at the exterior portion of the box opposite to the hinge,said cover extending over and closing the box and also closing thesleeve, a spring pressed figure, a spring located in the sleeve andbottoming on the bottom of the box, the cover pressing the figureagainst the action of the spring into the sleeve when the box is closedby said cover, said figure including a flexible dress, and meansattaching said flexible dress to the sleeve adjacent its open top andlimiting the extend of projection of the spring and figure when thecover is released.